When I visited Pakistan in the Nineties, I spent some time seeing Chasma and the Indus, and was impressed by the sheer scale and size of the river when it was normal! I never thought that I would see such an expanse, and particularly one which was spanned by a steel railway bridge, built by the British, near Kalabagh. I still have the photographs. Unfortunately, I also noticed that the local villagers were living at a basic level, and didn't have very much at all.
Compared to their City landlords, they had virtually nothing. What makes it more poignant for me, is that Lahore, a fine City by any standards, is not marked on your map, and appears to be home and dry. It is also a City inhabitated by many of the rich feudals who own lands in the Indus plains. I think that we know of several people like this who own lands in Sindh and in the Punjab, who still maintain their lifestyle at an enormous cost to their country subjects. I hope that these floods will provide a new impetus for the Phoenix of Pakistan to rise from its ashes. Years of development and investment have benefitted the rich and powerful, and I would like to see more equity in that society. Enough has been written and pondered about it. I know what it is like to live there, and be without clean water for five days, when the electricity went off, or to manage a household and grapple with several varieties of wildlife in my rooms. Mosquitos abound and I suspect that malaria will also affect those poor people who are disadvantaged enough to have nothing, not even the basic medicines and protection from a harsh environment. Cholera and tyhoid can be treated, but other parasites causing malaria,are more of a challenge, and malaria is incurable, so far as I am aware, and don't forget polio and other nasty illnesses which we have conveniently managed to contain and treat in the West, so that hardly anybody here ever hears about them. Exposure to tropical disease is an education in itself, let alone the deprivation of such people from malnutrition, and other forms of cruelty, which I will not go into. I hope that people in Pakistan will wake up to their fate and take action from the grass roots, because I do not believe that the ruling classes will solve anything unless they change their habits of a lifetime.
When we see the spectre of a country like Pakistan, which has such a great deal of beauty and depth to it, we also see the dark past of our own roots.

Mr President, not the terrorist card again.
Yes, Pakistan is facing a tragedy of enormous proportion.
One should think, why internationally public have not be very forthcoming with help and aid compared to other disasters.
Indus valley historically has been one of the beds of civilisation.
Unfortunately now Pakistan is the bed of global terrorism.
This terrorist card has been played so often and on different occasions, now we are finally getting tired.
You cant fool everybody all the time.
Government- Army- ISI- Madrasas - Taliban...It is now obvious to see that the common link to all above is terrorism.
High time the Pakistan government comes clean, and high time the Western government stop pandering to pakistan, which has become adept at using the "carrot and stick", no "aid and terrorist" card.

Poignantly surmised. While I fully empathise with your pain & sorrow at the tragedy that has virtually destroyed the country, I don't see how the Phoenix (Sphinx) of Pakistan will ever rise from the ashes of this devastation.

Like you accurately pointed out the abject apathy of the ruling class & the nation's cold, dark & heartless past will be the final nails in the coffin of self-destruction.

But hopefully, your wishes will come to fruition & the groundswell of a powerful grassroots movement, will save the country from itself & allow the Phoenix to rise again from the ashes.

Poor people they suffer from nature and unequality which prospers in their society. I have read the comment of TYGERMOTH and was impressed by the similarity of condition people who live in Pakistant with former country. I immigrated because of it. As u are aware that it is unfair and wrong to have such political system but you can do nothing.
There is a good prover One man cant be a soldier in a field. It means that one person can change anything in a country but i am a strong believer that revolutions and riot ,and toppling dictators and corruptible goverment are never carried out by commoners. Somebody stands behind it. But i wonder why people in Europe and some other countries managed to develop their cosiety to the level when people can speak freely move and can lead decent lives. But in other countries especially when you live or visit you realize that nothing will change here at any time and people will suffer and pay for those who live luxuriantly in their castles surrounded by a crowd of servants. Who can explain it to me why some countries are democratic and other undemocrating taking into consideratrion my theory that democracy, roughly speaking, was given by somebody but not by people as i claimed that people can change political structure and behind all revolution there were people who organize it so why " THESE POWERFUL PEOPLE" let some countries life in a democratic way and others not. Of course it is my especial opinion formed by living in a country where some have all but other nothing.

Not only the Political Leaders but Most of the Army Generals in Pakistan are corrupt. In the 63 Year History of Pakistan, it remains under rule of strict dictatorship for more than 30 Years, No dictatorship can save the country but a revolution in society of Pakistan is the need of time. The Flood Crisis is much like the same as the earthquake and if the Aid is given to the Government Agencies it will go in private accounts of Bureaucracy and Pakistan Corrupt Leadership.

Pakistan will come out stronger and better out of this. Indian Hindus and others who have wet dreams about pakistan disintigrating or being absorbed into India will have to wait another day and I am sure Pakistan will come right back up. We Pakistanis are strong people and we can work this out. What we need now is actions done by Pakistani's for Pakistani's. May Allah always bless Pakistan. Pakistan Zindabad!

Muslimman:
I have a comment for people like you. Pakistan was created by a leader who had a faulty vision and corrupt ideology to base a nation on religion alone, and discarded the 5000 years old Indus Valley Civilization, full of diversity. India seeks the strength in diversity and Pakistan seeks weakness in diversity.
Let me make it clear here. India has no desire to gobble up Pakistan (Bangladesh is a clear example and a fact) because Pakistan, for the last 63 years, has been completely corrupted by this religion base fanatic ideology, and India has more than 150 Million tolerant Muslims living peacefully with other religions under democratic political set up. So, please forget that you will ever be a part of India.

@MuslimMan
My good hope and prayers are with the people of Pakistan. I do hope you rise like a Phoenix out of the ashes and become the great nation you are capable of. I truly mean that.
But as an Indian, I think I speak for all of us when I say we have absolutely no desire to integrate with Pakistan. I have nothing against the people of Pakistan (can't say the same about your leaders.
You guys give us enough of a headache even with a border separating us.
And MuslimMan? How did you manage to link the Indus flooding to India wanting to take over you guys? Seriously? Kudos to the Pakistani ability to connect India to every single disaster that befalls you. I suppose Mother Nature works for the RAW.

I hope a successful rebuilding effort can be made once the waters have receded; it would require lots of resources, excellent discipline and efficiency and lack of corruption in executing the rebuilding. The obstacles are a civilian political structure dominated by corrupt billionaires who have shown no concern for the well-being of their fellow beings and an army that has consumes more than half the budget (thus preventing the state any effective role in the development of the country)and its real achievements are only losing half the country and sponsoring Taliban and other terrorists while playing a double game with the West to get more funding for itself. West must help rebuild Pakistan, but before we do, we must find ways to make sure that it is done in such a way that in helps the country -not the politicians and the generals

The biggest Lie that Pakistan has been taught is that Indians want to take over their country for a forceful integration.

It has taken 6 decades to build the cohesiveness of Indian nationhood and a sense of Indianness. Who would want to pollute it with such a ill thought integration. The whole idea of partition was good riddance.

Patel was right "Sindhu ke us Paar Pakistan, is paar Hindustan". Had it not been for Gandhi, the miserable people who are suffering from the Flood would have been receiving the same cover like those in Leh.

The miserable faces on the humans you show transcend the expression of joy they showed when Pakistan announced it had successfully detonated an atomic weapon, and the country had become a nuclear power, to be reckoned with.
The miserable faces must learn to appreciate that the proliferation of schools and hospitals is, and always will be, far more important to their lives than their country's fatal attraction with "the bomb".

india has sometimes given a little bit of money during pakistani disasters.
HAs Pakistan ever done the same for India ? Did Pakistan give any money for Katrina ? Not necessary except as a goodwill gesture.

Every three years, growth in China is enough to add an India to itself (in terms of GDP). Every year and a half, India adds a Pakistan to itself (in terms of GDP). There is no need for China to conquer India or India to Conquer Pakistan physically, as they are already doing it economically.

And Pakistan? It will take three years of growth in Pakistan to add an Afghanistan to itself. The 2.5% growth rate is the real tragedy of Pakistan, not its enmity with India.

Pakistan shall inshallah make it better and Inshallah it will come out stronger for this. Pakistan has gone through worse and even with the ill wishes of india and its Hindu's who would like nothing better than to destory Pakistan, it will come on top. I have faith in my country. Pakistan Zindabad!